THE SPECIALIST

Blogging Genesis 25:19-34

  

Genesis 25: ²⁰ Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian.

²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

²³ And the Lord said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”

²⁴ So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. ²⁶ Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

²⁷ So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents.

²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Rebekah couldn’t have children (Genesis 25:22), but she and Isaac prayed for a miracle and tried to get pregnant despite the diagnosis.  After 20 years of infertility, their miracle happened.  Rebekah was pregnant. Twins. But there were complications.  She got sick and not the normal pregnancy sick.  Rebekah thought she was going to lose the babies.

She’d been the lady of a great household for 2 decades.  Her father-in-law Abraham had resources and connections that brought in the best midwives and healers in Canaan, but all they said was, “It’s going to be alright.”  

Rebekah didn’t want affirmations; she wanted answers.  She said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” (Genesis 25:22)

Her husband, her father-in-law, her servants, healers, and midwives: none of them could explain what was happening, So she went to inquire of the Lord (Genesis 25:22).

Going to inquire of the Lord probably meant more than “she prayed that morning.”  Rebekah travelled to a sacred location,  built (or had servants build) an altar and offered sacrifices there; or she brought gifts to a  known prophet so he would inquire of the Lord on her behalf (2 Kings 3:11; 2 Kings 8:8; Jeremiah 21:2).

In other words, Rebekah went to talk to a specialist. THE Specialist.

The Specialist explained like no other power could do.  And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; two peoples shall be separated from your body. One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23).

The twins were incompatible.  The physical complications of her pregnancy were the result of invitro conflict between the 2 fetuses.  The prognosis was that she would bring the babies to term and deliver them safely.  After 20 barren years and 9 painful months would be followed by a lifetime of conflict between her only 2 babies.

Congratulations.

If this were a fairy tale or a myth invented by ancient priests advancing a misogynist agenda to suppress dissent among the masses, then the story would have a happily ever after for the holy patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish nation.  If this were a fiction edited and published as holy writ, the heroine (Rebekah) wouldn’t play favorites with her children, and the hero (Isaac) wouldn’t pick the wrong son as his favorite.

And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob (Genesis 25:28).

But this isn’t a fairy tale, or a myth.  This is the Bible, and the Bible tells the truth about what happened even when that truth is messy. 

The parents, Isaac and Rebekah, were good people; but they were human and, therefore, prone to screw up --- which they did.  They exacerbated the (literally) inborn animosity between their sons.  They pitted kid against kid and kid against spouse.  They all lived under the grace and remarkable favor of God, but within that sphere of blessing, they made some really bad choices.  That’s the messy truth.   

Inspirational affirmations declare that it will all be all right.  For some of us, that’s enough.  You feel better and go on. 

But some of us are more like Rebekah.  We want answers not affirmations.  We don’t need your motivation; we need your HELP.  Stop sending me text messages saying, “You can do it.” Meet me in the morning and HELP ME get it done. 

Anybody can be an encourager, but sometimes you need a specialist.  You need someone who will honestly and in detail lay out how screwed you are and then walk you through the steps necessary to unscrew yourself.  Some of us need a specialist who will be tell us the messy truth about the coming trouble and be present and participating when the next level of problems and opportunities arrive.  

Genesis 25 explains that such a Specialist is available. 

Have you any rivers
That seem un-crossable?
And have you any mountain
That you cannot tunnel through?

God specializes
In things impossible
And He will do what no other other power

but Holy Ghost power can do.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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